Wet-offset rotary presses



Sheet of 18 23, 1969 L. J. CHAM BON I WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Filed June 10, 1966 Jan. 28, 1969 r L. J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 Jan. 28, 1969 L. J, CHAMBON 3,424,084

WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 iii- H! ll ii itr Jan. 28, 1969 J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 L. J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Jan. 28, 1969 Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 L. J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Jan. 28, 1969 e of 18.

Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 MI I? Jan. 28, 1969 L. J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 Jan. 28, 1969 .1. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 Jan. 28, 1969 L. J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Filed June 10, 1966 Sheet WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Filedv June 10, 1966 Sheet of 18 B (121 1210A J18 i 119 I i i L 4112 S IM] L r 1 1969 L. J. CHAMBON 3,424,084

WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet A2 of 18 Filed June 10, 1966 Jan. 28, 1969 L. J. CHAMBON 3,424,034

WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Filed June 10, 1966 Sheet 3 of 1s Jan. 28, 1969 L. J. CHAMBON 3,424,084

WET 0FFSET ROTARY PRESSES Filed June 10, 1966 Sheet of 18 Fig. 18

Jan. 1959 1.. J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 Jan. 28, 1969 L. J. CHAMBON 3,424,084

WET- OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Filed June 10, 1966 Sheet /6 of 18 Fig.20. 2/12 578 Jan. 28, 1969 1.. J. CHAMBON 3,424,034

WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Filed JuneIO, 1966 Sheet 7 of 1a Jan. 28, 1969 J. CHAMBON WET-OFFSET ROTARY PRESSES Sheet Filed June 10, 1966 United States Patent 29 Claims The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to wet-offset, variable-size rotary presses.

This invention is concerned more particularly with relatively simple means for positioning the various size cylinders.

To this end, the printing unit of a variable-size wetoffset rotary press comprises three superposed, rotatably driven cylinders, namely a top plate cylinder, an intermediate blanket or printing cylinder and a bottom impression cylinder, all these cylinders being tangent to each other during the operation of the press; the position of the top plate cylinder is fixed in relation to the frame structure of the unit, and the positions of the blanket and impression cylinders underlying the former may be adjusted vertically as a function of the format; this printing unit being characterized in that each one of said blanket and impression cylinders is rotatably mounted on a pair of supports mounted for vertical sliding adjustment on the two lateral frame structures of the printing unit, in that the movement of each support is controlled by means of a vertical screw, and that the pair of screws controlling the movements of the pair of supports of a same cylinder are rotatably and simultaneously driven from a common electromotor having two directions of rotation.

This invention is also concerned with other improvements relating to the rotary cylinder drive and also to the cylinder assembly and disassembly means, to the inking system, to the inking plate control device, to the inking system pick-up cylinder control device and to the sheet collecting device at the delivery end of the press. These improvements will become clearly apparent from the following description.

A typical form of embodiment of this invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the diagrammatic drawings attached'hereto. 'In the drawmgs:

FIGURES 1a and 1b, assembled along the line a-b, constitute a simplified diagrammatic side-elevational view of the complete press;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View showing on a larger scale the wet-offset printing unit proper;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section of the inking system;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view from above of the inking system, with the flexible blade removed therefrom, and showing the device for adjusting the flexible blades;

FIGURE 5 is a section taken upon the line VV of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing the inking system control device;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the device illustrated in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary diagrammatic elevational view of the device controlling the inking plate reciprocation;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view of the control device of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical section illustrating the pick-up cylinder control means;

FIGURE 11 is a plan view and part-sectional view of the pick-up cylinder control means;

FIGURES 12a and 12b are fragmentary cross-sectional views showing on a larger scale a printing press, the section being taken upon the line XII-XII of FIG- URE 2, these two figures forming a single figure when joined along the line a-b;

FIGURE 13 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a cylinder lifting and removing device;

FIGURE 14 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIGURE 13;

FIGURE 15 is a diagrammatic plan view of a convenient device permitting the rapid exchange of two sets of three cylinders each;

FIGURE 16 is a diagrammatic View showing a sheet collecting device and a clamp chain receiving device;

FIGURE 17 is a part-elevational, part-sectional view showing on a larger scale the vertical adjustment system associated with the cylinders;

FIGURE 18 is a horizontal section taken upon the line XVIIIXVIII of FIGURE 17, showing the adjustable slides supporting the cylinders;

FIGURE 19 is a horizontal section taken upon the line XIX-XIX of FIGURE 17 and showing the mechanism for vertically adjusting the cylinders;

FIGURE 20 is a horizontal section taken in the plane containing the axis of the intermediate blanket cylinders;

FIGURE 21 is another horizontal section taken upon the line XXIXXI of FIGURE 22;

FIGURE 22 is a section showing the lower portion of the rotary press section illustrated in FIGURES 20 and 21, taken upon the line XXII-XXII of FIGURE 21.

The generalities of the machine according to this invention will first be described with reference to FIGURE 1. As shown in this figure by way of example only the rotary press comprises:

(a) A roll carrier 1 of known type with automatic roll replacement. This apparatus comprises on its outlet side a device for brushing and vacuum-cleaning the web, and means for straightening the web issuing from the rolls;

(b) A paper feed device 2 with means for laying on the web laterally. This device, of the variable-size type, is also known per se;

(0) A number of variable-size wet-offset printing units 3 of which the various features will be described presently;

(d) An ink drying device 4 followed by a cooling systern 5;

(e) A variable-size web tension device 6 of known yp (f) A variable-size rotary cutting device 7;

(g) A sheet collector 8;

(h) A sheet retarding device 9;

(i) A clamp-chain sheet receiving device 10 of known type.

Now a variable-size wet offset printing unit will be described more in detail with specific reference to FIGURES 2, 17, 18 and 19 of the drawings.

The printing unit illustrated in elevational view in FIG- URE 2 comprises a plate cylinder 11, a blanket cylinder 12 and an impression cylinder 13.

The cylinders 11, 12 and 13 are of the variable-size type in that their diameter varies as a function of the printing length contemplated.

The plate cylinder 11 has a fixed position. The posi- 12, 13 without passing under the guide rollers 16 and 17.

The intermediate or blanket cylinder 12 is carried by a pair of supports 175, 176 sliding vertically without play on the pair of side frame structures 181, 182 of the printing unit, the bottom cylinder 13 being carried by another pair of sliding supports 177 and 178.

In the following disclosure the displacement and vertical setting or adjustment of the bottom impression cylinder 13 will be given in detail, it being understood however that this description applies as well to the cylinder 12 comprising similar mechanisms. In a specific form of embodiment, the sliding supports 177 and 178 are guided by dovetail-sectioned slideways 179 and 180 rigid with the lateral frame structures 181 and 182 of the unit. These slideways are of the automatic play take-up type.

The vertical displacement of supports 177 and 178 is produced by a pair of rotatably coupled vertical screws 183 and 184 either through a separate motor and reducing gear unit 185 for positioning and shifting the assembly, or through a handwheel 186 for the final parallel setting and pressure adjustment. The same applies to the vertical screws 197 and 198 controlling the movements of the sliding supports 175 and 176 of cylinder 12.

The aforesaid screws 183 and 184 are rotatably driven by a pair of helical gears 187 and 188 (see FIG. 19) driven in turn by worms 189 and 190 respectively. The worm 190 is keyed directly on a transverse shaft 191. The other worm 189 is mounted on this shaft not directly but through the medium of a sleeve 222, the handwheel 186 and a hub 192 slidably fitted on shaft 191 and rotatably connected thereto by means of a key 193. A knurled nut 194 screwed on the end of shaft 191, as shown, is operatively connected to said hub 192 through a radial pin 221 rigid with said hub 192 and engaging a circular groove 223 formed in said nut 194. Thus, it is adapted to cause the sliding movement of said hub 192 for rotatably driving in turn the handwheel 186 through the medium of a stud 195 parallel to the shaft axis. This stud is adapted to be inserted into any desired one of a plurality of positioning holes 196 drilled through the handwheel 186 at spaced intervals on a same circle.

The above-described arrangement permits of disconnecting the worm 189 from shaft 191 by simply unscrewing the knurled nut 194 so as to free the stud 195 from its positioning hole. Then, rotating the handwheel 186 will no more adjust the screw 183 or 197 so that the parallel relationship of the cylinders can be adjusted as desired. The stud 195 is subsequently introduced into the nearest hole 196, and the nut 194 is eventually tightened.

The manner in which the cylinders are relatively shifted will now be described.

Having carefully adjusted the pressure of cylinders 12 and 13, a quick relative shifting of these cylinders is produced when the press is stopped due to the provision of an automatic device energizing the motors 185 and 185A rotatably driving the screws 183, 184 and 197, 198 respectively, so as to lower firstly the bottom cylinder 13 and then the intermediate cylinder 12, the former being shifted twice as much as the latter.

The shifting motion will be described in detail only with reference to cylinder 12, since both cylinders 12 and 13 are supported and adjusted by the same means.

The motor and reducing-gear unit 185A comprises a friction clutch 199 which, through the medium of gears 200, 201 and 202, is adapted to drive the shaft 191 in the desired direction.

A stud 203 carried by a ring 204 has been positioned beforehand against a stop 205 carried by the frame structure 181 during the precision adjustment of the cylinder pressure. This ring 204 is positioned by means of a clamping collar 206 driving this ring through a pin 207. In the locked position the stud 203 is adapted to actuate a switch 208 for opening the motor energizing circuit (see FIG- URES 17 and 19).

Stopping the press unit will start the motor A in the proper direction. This motor thus drives the shaft 191 and the stud 203 is rotated through substantially one revolution before re-engaging the stop 205. In this position corresponding to the cylinder shifting position it actuates the switch 209 for de-energizing the motor. The shock produced by the engagement of stud 203 with stop 205 is damped out by the provision of said friction clutch 199.

When the press is re-started the cylinders 12 and 13 are locked in position (with the assistance of a set of relays) by producing a sequence of steps constituting exactly the reverse of the shifting steps.

The web tension is kept to a constant value during the shifting of the counter-cylinder 13 due to the relative shifting of the guide rollers 16 and 17 responsive to conventional means (not shown) for keeping the web to a constant length.

Now the inking system will be described in detail with specific reference to FIGURES 2 to 5 of the drawings.

This inking system is of the conventional type comprising three inking plates and four dispensers with adjustable inkers. The ink-trough is of the flexible blade and reciprocating pick-up type.

The complete inking system is mounted on supports 24 slidably mounted on the lateral vertical frame structures 181, 182, the upward and downward movements of these supports being controlled by means of a pair of nonrotating screw rods 25 driven in the box 26 through a nut device by means of a worm and gear system driven in turn from an auxiliary motor.

The vertical adjustment is obtained by means of stops 27 bearing on the top of the box 26 and adjustable for each size, whereby the complete inking system may be shifted automatically when the press is stopped, and reset with the maximum precision, due to the provision of the adjustment stop, when re-starting the press.

As the dispenser adjustment device is of the conventional type, its description is not necessary for the understanding of this invention.

The ink-trough (see FIGURES 3, 4 and 5) is of the flexible blade type and its essential characteristic is that the blade is adjustable in either direction; in other words the blade may be moved at will towards or away from the ink-trough cylinder by means of control elements to be described hereinafter and which are positive in either case.

The ink-trough comprises essentially a support 28 carrying a pair of lateral flanges 28A, a flexible doctor blade 29 secured by rivets on a block 30 and an inktrough cylinder 45. The operative end of this flexible blade has formed therein a number of small straps 31 solid with, and depending beneath the blade. Each strap 31 has associated therewith a lever 32 fulcrumed on a pin 33 carried by an adjustable support 34 slidably adjustable on the plate 34A. This lever 32 carries a pin 31A slidably engaging the strap 31 and is responsive to a pin 35 slidably engaging 0n the other hand a notch 36 formed in the lever 32. This pin 35 is carried by a support 37 secured to one end of a sliding rod 38. The opposite end of this sliding rod has screw-threaded portion 39 of very fine pitch. The movement of translation of this rod 38 is controlled by means of a nut 40 actuated by the operator through the medium of hand knobs 41 or 42 of different lengths to facilitate the identification of the alternations in the ink distribution.

The movement of translation of rod 38, which results from the rotation of a knob 41 or 42, will thus cause the lever 32 to pivot about the pin 33 and raise or lower the flexible blade 29 by means of the pin 31A engaging the strap 31.

To increase or reduce the elasticity of the doctor blade 29 it is only necessary slidably to move the support 34 in order to move the pin 31A towards or away from the end of blade 29. Under these conditions, the doctor blade 

1. PRINTING UNIT OF A WET-OFFSET, VARIABLES SIZE ROTARY PRESS, COMPRISING TWO VERTICAL SPACED FRAME STRUCTURES, THREE HORIZONTAL SUPERPOSED CYLINDERS CONSISTING A TOP PLATE CYLINDER, AN INTERMEDIATE BLANKET CYLINDER AND A BOTTOM IMPRESSION CYLINDER, SAID CYLINDERS BEING ROTATABLY MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID VERTICAL SPACED FRAME STRUCTURES AND TANGENT TO EACH OTHER DURING THE OPERATION OF THE PRINTING UNIT, THE POSITION OF SAID TOP PLATE CYLINDER BEING FIXED ON SAID FRAME STRUCTURES OF THE PRINTING UNIT, A PAIR OF FIRST SUPPORTS ADAPTED TO SLIDE VERTICALLY ON SAID VERTICAL FRAME STRUCTURES AND TO CARRY FOR ROTATION THEREON SAID INTERMEDIATE BLANKET CYLINDER, ANOTHER PAIR OF SECOND SUPPORTS MOUNTE FOR VERTICAL SLIDING MOVEMENT ON SAID VERTICAL FRAME STRUCTURES OF THE UNIT AND ROTATABLY SUP- 